WASHINGTON - A swarm of out-of-town visitors have descended on the Washington-area airports, headed home after the Inauguration Day festivities. That has meant long lines at local airports all day and a lot of frustrated travelers.

"No one's out here kind of helping people -- where to go, how to get in line -- I'm beginning to think that the lines is just kind of going around in a circle," said one traveler.

"It's quite frustrating when you see a line stretch from one end of the airport to the next end and you can't even get an agent," added David Hutchinson, an Atlanta resident.

Paulette Riley got to the airport three hours early hoping to beat the mad rush, but realized she was not the only one to have that idea. "We've been here since before six o'clock this morning for an 8:25 flight, we've missed it, they overbooked, they only have two people at the check-in counter outside in this cold, they told us to come inside now and there are thousands of people and no flights."

Houston resident Gregory Hines and his friend arrived at Reagan National Airport (web | news) at 8 a.m., but soon learned their flight had been overbooked. Now, they must wait until 7 p.m. Thursday to fly home. "[Going to] get a hotel... get another rental car," Hines said.

Alexander Hernandez of Portage, Ind., spent the night at the airport. The 22-year-old says he and others slept on top of heating vents and chairs. When he woke up at 7 a.m., there were lines snaking through the terminal.

With more than one million visitors in town for inauguration, some travelers say that the airlines should have been more prepared.

"I stood outside for two-and-a-half hours in the cold, and [they] were just about to be check my bag [when] they told me it was too close to my flight time and [to] go reschedule my flight," said Amanda Kelley, a Pittsburgh resident.

"And I got here two-and-a-half hours early, and so did all these people, so it's not us not planning ahead," said another traveler.

Air Force Academy Cadet John Bucey needed to be back in Colorado Springs Wednesday. He watched his 11:40 a.m. flight leave without him; the next available flight is Friday out of Baltimore. "They told me the chapel is open to sleep in if I need to," Bucey said.

To deal with the rush, U.S. Airways flew twelve additional flights with larger carriers and boosted staff to handle the crowds. "We held our morning staff people to stay, many of them are still here, and we brought in our afternoon shift, we have plenty of staff here, a lot of it is just volume," noted Morgan Durrant, a U.S. Airways spokesman.

Carlos Uresti, a San Antonio resident, stood at the end of the line Wednesday afternoon. "We've been standing in lines for the last couple days of waiting to get into the inauguration, but I had no idea, this looks like a five-hour wait -- I hear we are going to miss our flight," Uresti said.

At Dulles International Airport (web | news) , it was more of the same. Oregon resident Megan Brogan's day started at Reagan National Airport. After missing her flight there due to long lines, she was forced to spend the night at Dulles. "[It's] kind of annoying," she said.

Many travelers said the hassle was worth it for a chance to be part of history. "I'll complain later, after I'm off my high," laughed one traveler.

U.S. Airways notes there are a couple factors adding to the unprecedented long lines. Besides just a heavy volume of travelers, many people showed up five to six hours early, adding to the lines. Plus, some travelers don't realize they can use the check-in kiosks.

U.S. Airways is rebooking people who miss their flights for free, but that means some visitors will be staying in town until Friday. Travelers are asked to print out boarding passes before getting to the airport and arrive at least two-and-a-half hours early.

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